In For the Kill
by Cranberry Knight-XIII
Summary: Lightning Farron is one of the few that remain immune to PSICOM's lies of a dark menace threatening the existence of Cocoon. She forsakes the comfort of her home for the dangers of the night to fight back, knowing that she'll be in for the kill until she beats the military herself. She soon meets Roxas, a boy who's on the run as well, but for all the wrong reasons. FF13xKH2
1. Prologue

**Days of Darkness **

Prologue

This world is a sight that many do not ever have the chance to see. Cool, soft grass covers the area around my feet and spreads down the trail towards my favorite lake. Vibrant flowers line the edge of the bluff I now inhabit. From my spectacular point of view, I am given the gift of seeing every lake, cliff, tree, and waterfall before my eyes. Not many are given the chance to witness such a dramatic and vast landscape full of wild beasts and rushing waterfalls. The knee-high grass gently swishes in the breeze, as if they were ocean waves breaking upon the shore. From my vantage point, everything is perfectly calm and peaceful. No one can even fathom where I now sit; no one can disturb me in my beautiful world that I call home. As of now, home is behind and the world is before me.

You would think that I am enjoying the view and the breeze, the flowers and exotic plants. You would think that I am lifting my face to the sky to soak in the rich warmth of Phoenix's light. You would think that I am merely visiting this land for a short while, and then I would return home.

The thing is...you'd be wrong.

I am not enjoying the wondrous view, nor the weather or the plants that inhabit this humid ecosystem. I don't plan on returning home for many weeks either. I am not closing my eyes and inhaling the dreamy scent of the Sunleth Waterscape's flowers.

I am, in fact, observing a dark shadow that is hovering hundreds of miles into the sky, near the outer rim of my planet. I watch as it twists and turns slowly, as if looking for something that is difficult to reach. It has scanned the outer shell for many days now, but it is only now that I notice the size of the shadow has increased at an alarming rate. It cannot sense my watchful eyes inside of Cocoon's protective shell, and it continues to probe the shield with ghostly fingers. After every touch from the shadow, an invisible force of Cocoon deflects the touch, but I know that she can't keep this unknown enemy at bay forever. The shadow will eventually discover a hole in Cocoon's shield, and he will creep in unnoticed.

Even here in the safe haven of Cocoon, the shadow lingers, ever watchful and waiting. Cocoon remains strong for now, but in the end, when faced with the fear of death, she is nothing more than a child in the face of an angry adult. When Cocoon averts her eyes, the shadow will strike the heart of Cocoon. The shadows of death and darkness will overwhelm the forces of good in this world, and Cocoon will crumble into ruin. Life as we know it will be shattered.

Softly I chanted an ancient song, one so lost in history that the ones who know it are far too old to utter its words anymore. It came by me as I traveled across Cocoon to my present destination.

"_Home is behind, _

_The world ahead. _

_And there are many paths to tread. _

_Through shadow, _

_To the edge of night. _

_Until the stars are all alight. _

_Mist and shadow, _

_Cloud and shade. _

_Hope shall fail. _

_All shall fade." _

These days are cold.

These are days of darkness.

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><p>~<em>To be continued~<em>


	2. Something Lurking

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Hey everybody! Sorry it took so long for me to update this, but I've been working hard on Impure Eyes and The War of Middle-Earth. Definately check those stories out in my profile, and also check out Final Fantasy XIII Versus Advent Children. I don't have the time to continue that story, so I'm handing it off to another author.

I know this chapter is uber short, but don't worry, the next one will be much longer. Once the story gets going, and includes a certain crossover character from one of the most famous games in history, I'll put this story in a FF13X... thing, but for now, it's here. Enjoy, subscribe, review, comment randomly, or just read. I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing! (Not including listening to my annoying teacher, however!)

Song to listen to while reading: _Final Fantasy Type-0 - _Battle - What Squirms- .com/watch?v=3xIsKQ5tb2I&feature=mfu_in_order&list=ULL

* * *

><p>Days of Darkness<p>

Something Lurking

Lightning Farron eyes snapped open in an instant and she jack-knifed into a sitting position. She cocked her ear, straining…

Just for a quick second, she had heard a slight but pronounced _click_, like metals sliding against each other. Closing her eyes and remaining still, she closed her eyes and concentrated on her hearing. She heard the slight chirp of crickets and the call of a bird every once in awhile, but after two minutes, she heard nothing else.

_Guess it was all in my head, _the sergeant thought.

She laid her head back down on the downy feather-filled pillow, and closed her eyes once more. Her tired eyes begged her to fall asleep, and she gladly obeyed. Lieutenant Amodar had exhausted the Bodhum Security Regiment during the day's training session.

_I'll rest, then redeem myself tomorrow, _she thought.

A few seconds later she was asleep.

* * *

><p>Outside, a man in a pitch-black PSICOM Elite uniform lifted up a sniper rifle. Without making a sound the Elite attached a silencer to the rifle, then slowly placed his hand under the barrel, and put his finger to the trigger. He gazed through the purple-tinted mask of his uniform and looked down the barrel. Nearly twenty yards away was a modern house that stood on stilts above a small lake and over land. The house was shaped like a Palumpolum peanut. The Elite swung his gun to aim at an open window on the south side of the house. And then there she was! She had her back facing the window<p>

He sank lower on his knees. Ah! There, she was in his full range of vision.

The man smiled. After many years of hard work and dedication, he had climbed his way to the top as one of PSICOM's greatest assassins. He would only get even more popular after this kill. And he wouldn't fail. Oh, no. That would result in his death.

_"Sir, I've got target Farron in my line of sight. Over," _the man whispered into his built-in microphone inside of his mask. His aim never wavered for a second.

"_Kill her. Over." _

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>So, how was it? Pretty short, but I'm getting there. By the way, if you've got a chance, watch the _Final Fantasy Type-0 _walkthrough on YouTube by AginoEvolutionHD! That game is the best thing that has ever happened to me, no doubt about it. It's a perfect game with an amazing and heartbreaking ending, one that you'll never forget.

Write on,

**WriteFF13**


	3. An Uninvited Guest

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Ch.3 is up and ready to roll! Unfortunately, since I don't have extra time in my back pockets, these chapters are going to be about 2,000 words each on average…I _think. _Comment, subscribe, favorite a story or a certain author, REVIEW...anything! I haven't had much activity around here!

**Summary: **Read to find out…

Music to listen to (copy and paste on another link):(for first half of chapter) _Final Fantasy Type-0 - _Choose a Way to Die: .com/watch?v=l7JcnbWiYfA&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

(for second half) _Final Fantasy Type-0_- Fear of the Abyss -h.com/watch?v=HcRSJLBk_Rc

I listened to those songs while writing, so I think they will definately help you picture the creepiness when you read. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><span>Days of Darkness <span>

An Uninvited Guest

The clouds parted and the pale face of the moon shown down brightly upon the elegant house. A sliver of moonlight poured into Lightning's room through the window and illuminated her eyes behind her eyelids. The sudden light in her eyes made the soldier wake immediately and rub the sleep out of her blue orbs. She glanced at the digital clock that rested on the side of her bed: 1:34 a.m.

Strangely, she didn't have the urge to lie back down and sleep. She felt restless and jittery. Her trigger finger twitched on its own accord, even as she cradled it in her other hand. Sighing, the young woman threw aside the cool sheets of her bed and stood up. The bed's hinges squeaked slightly. Lightning hoped she hadn't woken Serah; the sound was fairly loud. Hearing nothing, she slowly opened the door and stepped into the chilly hallway and made her way into the kitchen.

Like the rest of the house, the kitchen was very spacious. Lightning tended to not spend a lot of time in the room since Serah was the more skilled cook. A stack of mail lay scattered along the counter next to the stainless-steel sink. Her skin skimmed the cool surface of their granite countertop as she deftly plucked an already-torn and crisp envelope. Inside was a long letter sent to her by Lieutenant Amodar.

It contained a lengthy letter explaining the benefits of being promoted to Officer in the Guardian Corps, a branch of the Sanctum military. The oldest Farron clearly remembered the proud look on her superior's face as he handed it to her. When she opened the letter, she was both flabbergasted and elated. But even then, she believed she wasn't experienced enough. "_Sergeant Coulter, Lieutenant? Why not promote him_?" she had asked.

"_Farron, you've been ready for this promotion from the time you were just eighteen years old. You're more than ready for this. It's about time you did something exciting. Don't want to be stuck doing guard duty all the time, do you? You're birthday is fast approaching, Sergeant Farron, and I think it's high time the GC got a good Officer among the ranks, seeing as you're almost old enough to be one. Think about it_." That was what he had said, she recalled.

_Promoting to an Officer would mean more income, _Lightning thought tiredly. _But that would mean less time with Serah… _

She shook the guilty feeling off and tucked the letter back inside. Then she decided to sit at the dining table around the corner, which gave a spectacular view of the lake that surrounded half of the Farrons' house. The way the light from the moon reflected on the water was mesmerizing, and she gazed silently at the lake, lost in her thoughts.

* * *

><p>The PSICOM Elite–whom Lightning did not know was there–swore and flipped open a small cover on his arm. A small red button blinked slowly, and he jabbed it with his index finger. The button read CALL. It was like a cell phone, only with ten times the voice clarity and ten times smaller the size. With the push of a button, the Elites could contact anyone within the PSICOM branch via their comms units. This Elite didn't particularly <em>want <em>to call his boss though. A second before he had pulled the trigger, his target had decided to wake up and move to the other side of the house. And now he had to report this to the boss, and wait for further instructions. While his boss could see everything–or, almost everything–from the microscopic video camera attached to the Elite's helmet, his vision was obscured by the night's darkness.

The headphones inside his mask/helmet crackled to life. The Elite waited for the crackling to cease, and when it did, he could clearly hear the impatient breathing of his boss on the other line.

_I hope I get paid overtime for this, _the assassin thought irritably. This was an exceptionally late assassination, even for him.

"I ordered you to kill Farron!" his boss hissed into the comms unit. "Why is she not dead yet?"

"Target Farron has moved out of direct sight, sir."

The Elite distinctly heard the angry breathing of his boss as he attempted to refrain from screaming in his ears. "Then _get _her in direct sight!" he snapped. "Where is she now?"

The assassin regarded the small blueprint beside him. "Towards the front of the house; possibly in the kitchen, dining room, or living room," he replied hastily. "Sir."

The voice on the line became considerably less voluminous. "Change strategy. Circle the house and find an opening. If you have to, enter the house and kill her on sight. Whatever it takes. If the younger one gets in the way, kill her as well," his boss said.

"Yes, sir."

"Do not miss. You _cannot_ miss. You will suffer if you do."

"…"

"Did you hear me?"

"…Roger that, sir."

A small _click _signaled that the call was over. The Elite flicked the plastic covering closed and shouldered his sniper rifle. Then he crawled to the edge of the small bluff and measured the distance to the ground. About 15 feet, he guessed. Silently backing up, he leaped over the edge. As the ground rushed up at him, he bent forward onto his shoulder to go into a smooth roll that absorbed the impact.

His landing brought him at the southern tip of the house, the side that faced the bluff behind him. To his right was a small lake that emitted the heady scent of rose petals. As he circled around the house to the front, the Elite kept to the shadows until he arrived nearly thirty feet in front of the house. Five windows on his side allowed him a view of the interior, but the Target wasn't in any of them. After several minutes of patient waiting, the Elite sprung up and trotted to the front door.

_Only one way in, _he thought.

He tested the doorknob, but of course it was locked. He produced a thin piece of metal about a foot wide. He jammed in the almost non-existent space between the door and frame. He shoved it upwards against the bolt, and it retracted into its space in the door. He slowly twisted the knob again, and was satisfied when the mahogany door swung open to reveal the very modern and expensive interior of the house.

_Even a GC Sergeant earns more than a PSICOM Elite these days, _the Elite thought, annoyed as he observed the lavish tastes of the Farrons.

The house had three bedrooms and two bathrooms, all in the back. Lightning's was in the middle, Serah's on the right of her sister's, and the guest bedroom was on the left of the middle bedroom. The front door opened up to the spacious kitchen. To the right was the enormous living room, equipped with an expensive flat-screen TV and a brand-new entertainment system.

The Assassin crept past the kitchen counter, listening intently. A flash of pink appeared in the living room, then was gone, but he didn't see it. With his gun in his hands, the Elite was starting to wonder why he had only brought a sniper rifle only. He supposed he had been confident enough in his…assassination abilities. Somehow, if the Target snuck up on him–which he highly doubted would happen–he would either have to land a lucky shot, or rely on his hand-to-hand combat skills. He hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Suddenly, a slight creaking sound came from behind him, from the hallway. He whirled and locked his scope onto the space between the door that led into the hallway. Moving silently, the Elite softly shouldered his gun and crept into the hallway. To make sure his boss wouldn't call him, he clicked the small POWER OFF button on his wrist comms unit.

To his left was two rooms, and three to the right. Both the doors at the end of the hallways were wide open. The Elite shimmied along the edge of the wall and padded to the first two doors on the left. The one in front of him revealed to be a bathroom, but the Elite found no sign of the Target after he stuck his head inside.

Before he reached the door at the end, he shook a microscopic device from one of his many pockets and held it in his gloved palm. It was no bigger than a Gil coin, about an inch and a half across. On it, a dim blue light blinked on and off. He pinched it between two fingers, then lightly tossed it into the bedroom a few feet away.

_Whoever invented the Array is pure genius, _he thought. A very slight chirp sounded from his microphone, and he hastened to silence it. _I don't have to risk my hide to go in there. _

From the hallway, the Assassin pressed his thumb to a small pad located on the inside of the wrist. Immediately, a light blue hologram materialized, showcasing an entire blueprint of the room, but this version was 3D. The Elite's face was illuminated as he quickly studied the live feed coming from the Array situated in the bedroom as it scanned the area.

In it was a regular teenager's bedroom: drawers, a pile of schoolbooks, a backpack, desk, a laptop, and a bed. In the bed was a small figure with pink hair, but he could tell this wasn't _the _Target. A slight scuffle from the living room made the Elite freeze and cock his ear. Hearing nothing else, he powered the hologram off and deserted the minute Array that still rested on the floor of Serah Farron's room.

The Assassin's heartbeat pounded in his ears as he stalked towards the hallway. And for the first time in his entire career of assassination, he was actually _nervous._ Twice he retracted his trigger finger because it was twitching. He stood in the hallway, surveying the living, kitchen, and dining room when the heavy brown curtains by the window fluttered slightly.

_"There you are,_" he breathed as he hefted the sniper rifle. He willed his nerves to calm as he flipped the safety off.

All he heard was his own heartbeat like an ocean wave breaking upon the shore. He grinned.

And he pulled the trigger. _Whoosh…_The bullet flew from the barrel and struck the curtain, making it billow. With the silencer, he had hardly made a sound.

_Wait…_the Elite thought. No cry of pain, no moan in agony…

"What the–"

Suddenly, a crushing force crushed his Adam's apple from behind, and he dropped the weapon as he struggled to breathe. Then, a boot struck the back of his knees, and only the attacker's hands on his head kept him upright. The Elite groaned in pain as the attacker yanked his head up by his hair, now revealed by his missing helmet. A thousand hairs were ripped from their roots. The Assassin clawed at the attacker's hands, but they kept a choking hold on his neck.

Her voice sent shivers racing down his back, like a cold chill during a lonely winter night.

"I don't remember inviting you into my house."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>

Okay, I don't know about you guys, but I thought that chapter was awesome! Here we've got a surprisingly clumsy PSICOM Elite who just waltzes into Lightning Farron's house. She ain't gonna be too happy with that!

So! Did you like it? Not like it? Thought it was the best thing in the world since duct tape? Thought it was the worst thing in the world since that rotten apple you ate last week? Tell me what you think! Criticism is nice, but let's not burn my story with flames, shall we? If you know me, you know I don't particularly like flamers on the Internet.

Ch.4 "The Chase" will be up within a week and a half because school starts up again on Monday.

Comment, review, subscribe, favorite, pick your nose…

Do _something _around here!

Write on,

**WriteFF13 **

(a.k.a **Cranberry Knight** on )


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